The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1887-11-17
Agriculture.


What Kind 81 stock the farmer sells bias
more TO do with success on iallare than
any other one Item 10 farm mAnagemenL
We think mosi farmers are learning 10 be
more particular on this point than former
~. II is 20 longer easy for the butcher
OF droyers 10 drise through the country,
picking out the choicest snimals. paying a
tribe more for them. and leaving the far
mer the scrubs. The reverse OF this is
now 80 often the case that the business Of
buying cattle and other live stock In the
East has TO some cxieni gone out OF fash
ion. II Is easier 10 order dressed beef
from the far West. OF bring the live stock
on cars and butcher them here.
One oil the results Of this is that farm
crs are often left with the animals not
worth keeping and yet not easy 10 sell.
Unless farmer is pretty close calenla
tor this condition OF affairs may continn0
year after year. until the stock has, as The
saying liz. more than eaten It's head eff
II is easy 10 see that such animals must
be heavy drawback upon successful farm
ing. No matter how good tue crops may
be. whatever is fed TO inferior animals
brings little return. In olden times there
was less competition aud larger margin
OF profit. Then poor stock did not matter
so much. for every body had more or less
Of it, With the Improvements that have
1ow been made 10 domestic animals, IL is
more necessary than ever before to get
aud keep the best
1t costs more too than ii used to, though
not proportionably more than its increased
excellence warrants The farmers who
complain that pedgreed stock OF goods
strains costs too much ignore its product
iveness. This is especially true OF cows
for milk aud butter Many farmer can
we'll afford to sell Of bis three, four or hall
dozen ordinary animals and put their
price in one. The progeny from the one
will be worth for raising more than from
all that he previously had. He will save
expense OF feeding superfluous animals
and extra labor in care aud milking. One
thoroughbred COW may thus be the foun-
dation OF valuable herd.
1t is the same with all other farm ami
mails. No good farming can be done with
poor horses II the team ia inefficient,
the fact binders all farm work and causes
1t to be done at loss. 1t is one OF the
disadvantages Of continuing long IN the
farming business, that unless the farmei
is pretty wide awake he will soon find
his stables filled with animals past their
best service. No one would buy such
horses to begin farming with, bnt having
them, the farmer sees yearly deprecia
ton of value which he vainly attempts to
recover. year ago horse that might
readily have sold for $3.50 is now less SAL
able at 300 Two or three years later
he will be an old horse salable, perhaps, |
for $50. yet really not worth taking as u
gift. When horse from age or iDfirmity |
goes below $50 or 500 in price, the man
must be in hard stress indeed who will
depend on him to do seasons work on the
farm.
Yet it is such animals, not merely OF
horses, but Of other farm stick, that poor
beginners mainly start With They take
the leavinRs OF the rich aud, nobody ever
made money by this method The only
exception 10 this is Ia animals past their
prime, OF good blood and not past breed
ing age. Sometimes from such valuable
young stock mey be Bred aud the profit
on the young animals more than Offsets
the depreciation Of the old. As rule,
however, all animals much past their
prime should be disposed Of as soon as
possible. Old horses that have done
faithful service may be killed in some
painless manner, rather than sold to be
llltreated by strangers. Killing without
saving only the hide and using
The carcass as manure, may often be
better means OF disposing superannuated
COWS than trying to winter or even to fat
zen them. Unusually, however, some one
will be found willing to buy such animals
md will invariably pay more than they
ire worth. This is one Of the ways where
~ the poor increase their poverty, as has
,een the usual rule through evere age
md in every country. - Cuhipator.